Hat stretcher



5, 1969 J. NAVARA 3,459,347

' HAT STRETCHER Filed Nov. 20, 1967 INVENTOR. (JOSEPH NA VAR/4 A WLWQ MM A T TQRNE Y5 United States Patent 3,459,347 HAT STRETCHER Joseph Navara, 2105 W. Walton St., Chicago, Ill. 60622 Filed Nov. 20, 1967, Ser. No. 684,227 Int. Cl. A42c 1/04 US. Cl. 223-25 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An apparatus for stretching and shaping caps or hats is disclosed including two arcuate elements mounted on a cooperating elongated member, and having means for moving the arcuate elements outwardly on said cooperating member and with respect to each other to provide a stretching action to the cap or hat.

Background of the invention Field of the inventi0n.The most recent patents known to applicant relating to this invention have been classified under Patent Ofiice classifications: Cl. 223-24 and 223- 25.

Description of the prior art.- Prior art patents known to applicant are as follows: 249,118, Tobias, issued Nov. 1, 1881; 253,818, Hoyt, issued Feb. 14, 1882; 368,068, Carroll, issued Aug. 9, 1887; 1,703,398, Lake, issued Feb. 26, 1929; 2,342,047, Greifenhain, issued Feb. 15, 1944.

In the hat stretcher and shaper as represented by the known prior art, the units shown appear to be either expensive to manufacture, inconvenient to carry, or appear not to properly shape the hat or cap.

Summary of the invention This invention relates to a hat or cap stretcher for permitting a cap or hat to be stretched to the proper shape for drying and/ or cleaning, or for maintaining the hat in shape during storage.

A feature of the invention is the fact that the elements of the hat stretcher can be conveniently separated and packaged one with the other in a small, convenient package for carrying or storage purposes.

Brief description of the drawings FIG. 1 is a top view of one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the unit of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an end view of the unit of FIG. I mounted in its carrying or storage position;

FIG. 4 is a perspective or isometric view of the unit of FIG. 1 in its carrying or storage position; and

FIG. 5 is a partial top view of a modification of the invention of FIGS. 1 to 4.

Description of the preferred embodiments Referring to FIG. 1, the hat stretcher 11 comprises two semicircular, arcuate or partially oval-shaped, segments or end pieces 13 and 15. The end pieces 13 and 15 are essentially identical and include respective hollow posts 17 and 18 mounted in its interior or concave center for receiving an end of a rod '19 therein. Bracing arms 22, for any suitable width, may extend from the posts 17 and 18 to the respective pieces 13 and 15; alternatively, the arms 22 and the posts '17 and 18 can comprise respective solid surfaces. Therod 19 is in the form of a screw on which are mounted two butterfly nuts 21 and 23. The nuts 21 and 23 are arranged to bear against and abut the respective posts 17 and 18 formed to push the units 13 and '15 outwardly.

The center of the rod 19 may be reinforced as by any suitable enlarged block 25. Note that all of the elements of the hat stretcher 11 may be formed of plastic or of any suitable metallic material.

In use the hat stretcher 11 is placed within the opening of the hat or cap and the end pieces 13 and 15 are pushed against the edges of the cap by turning or screwing the butterfly nuts 21 and 23 outwardly to bear against the side of the hat or cap. One or both of the butterfly nuts 21 and 23 can be turned as desired to properly position the end pieces 13 and 15 within the hat and the nuts 21 and 23 are next tightened to stretch the hat to the position desired. Dilferent size rods 19A, 19B and 19C may be provided with the hat stretcher to accommodate diflerent size hats. The size of the particular rod for the designated hat size may be marked on the block 25, see also FIG. 4.

Markers such as notches 29 or color coding 31 may be placed on the rod to indicate the position at which the end pieces 13 and 15 should be placed to maintain the hat or cap at a desired size.

For purposes of carrying the hat or cap stretcher in a convenient, small package, the end pieces 13 and 15 are slit to provide mating slots 32 and 34, respectively, to fit in the recess and interleave with each other, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, to provide a compact carrying or storing unit.

Further, the edges of the end pieces 13 and 15 are also recessed as at 36, best seen in FIG. 2, to accommodate the rods 19A, 19B and 19C, as shown in FIG. 4. Thus, one or more rods 19A, 19B and 19C can be mounted in respective recesses 36. When mounted in this manner, the unit can then be slipped into a small package for carrying or easy storage.

A second embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. 5 wherein the end pieces (13A only being shown) do not include the slots 32 and 34, nor the recesses 36. In this second embodiment the rod 19 includes a hole 37 in either end thereof for receiving a pin 38. Pin 38 holds end piece 13A in position on rod 19 for purposes of carrying hat or cap stretcher 11, or for its storage. When the hat or cap stretcher 11 is to be used, the pin 38 is withdrawn merely by pulling on the attached ring 39.

I claim:

1. A hat stretcher for hats comprising:

two substantially arcuate-shaped segments arranged to be placed within a hat;

a rod member;

means in said arcuate-shaped segments for receiving said rod member in cooperative relation;

plural nut means mounted on said rod member arranged to be individually manipulated to push said separate segments to a selected spacing therebetween for stretching said hat to a desired size; and

slots on each of said segments, said slots on one of said segments mating with slots on the other segment for permitting interleaving, one with the other, such as for carrying or storage.

2. A hat stretcher as in claim 1 wherein said rod member includes holes in the end thereof, pin means for inserting into said holes for maintaining said segments in position for carrying or storage.

3. A hat stretcher as in claim 1, wherein said arcuateshaped segments each include at least one recess for receiving a rod member therein for purposes of carrying or storage.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,087,683 2/l914 Pye 223-25 2,075,626 3/ 1937 Schlesinger 22325 FOREIGN PATENTS 9,014 6/ 1888 Great Britain.

JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner G. V. LARKIN, Assistant Examiner 

